On Saturday, June 4th, 2022, C&J Somafour Services Limited launched the Somafour App to the public at the African Regent Hotel in Accra, Ghana.
Somafour is a new revolutionary App for Ghanaians abroad struggling to find dependable individuals to run errands on their behalf in Ghana. Somafour is a mobile app designed to request and subsequently carry out any kind of errand services in Ghana. Somafour will execute instructions to the letter regarding what users require to be done anywhere in Ghana, in a safe, affordable, and fast way.
The launch was moderated by Kafui Dey, a prolific Master of Ceremony, and chaired by Nana Obeng-Poku Tano II, Kwahu Bokuruwahene who represented Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, Okwahuhene and President of the Kwahu Traditional Council. Mr. David Gowu, Executive Director of the Institute of ICT Professional Ghana, was the honoured guest, amongst other important personalities from Ghana and abroad who attended the occasion.
During the event, Mr. Christian Kofi Adu Van Lare, the Founder, and CEO of C&J Somafour Services Limited shared some of his personal experiences, obstacles, and frustrations that he had previously encountered. He reiterated his issues were not dissimilar to that of most Ghanaians in the diaspora.
Ghanaians abroad have in the past banked their hopes on friends and family to execute certain errands, but it is common knowledge that often they can be unreliable or unwilling. This puts a strain on the relationship between Ghanaians living in other countries and friends and relations at home. He described how Ghanaians living in other countries are ostracized when they cannot show their love materially for a friend or family member in Ghana.
As a result, Somafour was created to meet the needs of everyone who wants to express their affection for family and friends, among other duties, safely and conveniently. Somafour is the app that enables Ghanaians abroad to simply order tailor-made errand services, caring and assistance, confirmation services, and personal representation services they need in Ghana with the assurance that it would be done in a safe, affordable, and fast way.
The chairperson applauded the CEO and the Somafour team for developing an app that has addressed and is ready to solve the challenges and frustrations facing Ghanaians living abroad during his speech. He added he believes the innovation will benefit both Ghanaians living here and those in the diaspora as well. He also emphasizes how technology can solve a variety of problems; thus, everyone should embrace and propagate the goodness of Somafour. In his closing remarks, he encouraged the audience to patronize Somafour because Somafour will flourish just like any other business.
During his address, Mr. Gowu expressed his enthusiasm for Somafour and his willingness to help the Somafour team expand the company within the technology market and the public. He believes Somafour, in the future, should be accessible to all Ghanaians worldwide.
In her remarks to endorse the app, Madam Comfort Opoku drew on her own experiences as a Ghanaian who used to live abroad, worked as a registered nurse in the United States, and had elderly parents in Ghana while she was abroad. She noted that sometimes, just having someone to check on an elderly person could make all the difference in a life-or-death situation. She also recalled an instance where funds she was sending for the care of her mother were channelled into something else by the caregiver, resulting in dire consequences. Madam Comfort Opoku wholeheartedly endorsed Somafour’s mission and appealed to the Ghanaians living abroad to patronize the service.
Somafour operates by creating a marketplace for customers requesting assistance services in Ghana and local Ghanaians ready to work as specialists on the app to offer the requested services. With the emergence of the “gig” economy, local Ghanaians can supplement their income by freelancing as they see fit.
For customers, setting up is as simple as downloading the app, registering your phone number and country, and creating a password. To request a service, simply select the service type and provide additional information by voice note, text, and images, and then pay by credit card and submit the order. The process is seamless.
Setting up for specialists follows the same process – downloading the app, registering your phone number and location in Ghana, and creating a password. To properly route orders, specialists must provide additional information on their education and work experience, proper identification documents, and references. This will also ensure that the proper due diligence and background checks are done on all specialists before they are allowed to work on the app.
Other functionalities of the app include the Assistance Services: Visit relatives living in cities and countryside and report back on what they are doing. Assist relatives in any way – nursing care, elderly care, childcare. Confirmation Services: Third-party confirmation for projects – e.g., take pictures, videos, etc. to confirm contractors. Request fact-finding in hometown, etc. Personal Representative Services: Request someone to represent you at funerals, marriages, graduation, or any occasion. Follow-up at government and private offices for uncompleted paperwork.
The app functionalities are truly in line with Somafour’s mission statement: To provide app-based errand services for Ghanaians living abroad to connect with and assist loved ones at home in a safe, affordable, and fast way.
Somafour, send your love home.
Author, Member, Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana
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